Household pets, and especially felines, require stimulation and exercise to remain mentally and physically healthy. Many different toys and entertainment devices have been developed to provide felines with such stimulation and exercise. As examples, simulated “mice”, plastic balls and similar items permit cats to bat them around, chase after them and pick them up. These devices simulate, to a certain degree, the playing of a feline with their prey. However, the felines quickly grow tired of these devices because they are predictable, and do not provide new and different stimuli. An interactive cat toy is provided by a feather, cloth or the like attached to the end of a rod, pole or stick, or having the feather or cloth tied to a string which is tied to the rod, pole or stick. A person would then manipulate the pole along the floor or in the air. The feline is attracted by the movement and “stalks” the toy, pouncing on it when it is within reach. Another example of an interactive cat toy is the use of a laser pointer. A laser pointer produces a dot of intense light on most surfaces that the laser pointer is directed towards. The dot of intense light may be moved at any speed from one point to another. Felines tend to stalk the projected point of light as they would a physical object. However, the light is projected, so the feline will not be able to catch the light as the feline might a physical object.
With the advance in lighting technology, smaller, less expensive and more economical lighting elements have become available. An example is fiber optic cables and light emitting diode arrays (“LEDs”). Lighting elements have been incorporated into such things as apparel and carpeting. As an example, LEDs and fiber optic lights have been incorporated into t-shirts and shoes. The lights are activated by a manual switch, pressure switch or through a switch that activates when the shoe impacts or lifts from the ground. Lighting has also been incorporated into flooring and carpeting. For example, the lighting may be used for guiding occupants of a building along a path of travel towards an exit as described in EP0323682. The lighting is provided in modular carpet tiles, with some tiles having light transmissive molded plastic housings positioned over openings containing LEDs. The LEDs are energized via an electric cable. Textiles containing optical fibers are also known in the art as shown in US2007/0037462, which describes manufacturing distributed optical fiber scrim comprising functional optical fibers. As another example, US2011/026213 describes a light transmissive multi-layer carpet tile and carpeted floor having a lighting system. As yet another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,373 describes a lighting strip apparatus for visually guiding occupants of airplanes and office buildings. While the incorporation of lighting into clothing and textiles is known, it has not been used for animal entertainment purposes.
Therefore, it is with respect to these considerations and others that the present invention has been made.